Why Does My Two Year Old Cat Have Scabs and Thinning Fur? (Vet Answered)

Hi Kayleigh,

Thanks so much for writing in,

What you’re describing sounds very much like a condition known as Miliary Dermatitis, which can be caused by a number of things, including food allergies, environmental allergies, flea allergies, or skin infections. I would tend to start by ruling out the most common things first, and at this time of year, we see a huge increase in fleas, even for indoor cats. Start by combing through her fur with a flea comb, looking for fleas or flea dirt (little black or brown specks in the fur). If you’re not sure if it’s flea dirt, put it on a damp tissue - if they turn rust red, you know it’s flea dirt (digested blood). If fleas are the culprit, I recommend being very proactive. The problem with fleas is that many flea treatments either only kill the adult fleas we can see, or only get rid of part of the flea life cycle, which means that there are still flea eggs and larvae in the environment that will develop into adult fleas, so the most effective way to get rid of them is to use a product that targets ALL parts of the flea life cycle, and use that product for a minimum of 3 months, otherwise, you might think you’ve got rid of them, and then the larval stages can develop and then suddenly you’ve got fleas again!

Some people don’t like using chemical flea treatments, and I know that they can also be quite expensive, but if you spend the money on an effective treatment now, you can start using some more natural remedies to help prevent fleas from returning in the future. 

Credelio chewable tablets treat fleas and ticks with a tablet, and Bravecto Topical Solution for Cats is great for getting rid of fleas and ticks with a spot-on formula. Revolution Topical Solution tackles fleas, ear mites, a number of intestinal worms, and heartworm.

If it’s not fleas, you might want to consider doing a food elimination trial, where you use a novel protein diet to see if the allergy symptoms improve. Chicken is one of the most common ingredients in cat food but also one of the most common causes of allergies, so it’s worth making sure this isn’t the culprit. Check out this article for more information: https://www.catster.com/ask-the-vet/chicken-allergies-in-cats/

Environmental allergies can be tougher to deal with, and you may need to look into some management strategies including air purifiers, extra vacuum cleaning, and antihistamines. You may also want to talk to your vet about allergy testing, but hopefully, it is one of the more easily addressed issues causing Amber’s skin issues!

I hope this helps,

Dr Karyn